Houston Rockets
Rockets trade Aaron Brooks to Denver for Jordan Hamilton
The Rockets continue their trade deadline streak, sending Aaron Brooks to the Denver Nuggets for wing Jordan Hamilton
For the second time in three years, the Houston Rockets have traded point guard Aaron Brooks at the NBA trade deadline.
Houston sent Brooks to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, bringing in 23-year old wing Jordan Hamilton in exchange.
Hamilton is not exactly a home run, but the Rockets get a decent shot at finding a possible rotation player. At 6-foot-7, he’s got the size for the wing and is a solid shooter at a career 35.7% from three-point range. He’s a very good defensive rebounder and has some athleticism. He will compete with Francisco Garcia and Omri Casspi for playing time.
“Jordan Hamilton is a guy we think has the potential to move into our rotation (and) we think we’re a pretty good team,” said Rockets GM Daryl Morey. “He brings some skills we think could help us — shooting and he’s a really great rebounder. One of our issues at the wing is when Dwight goes to block a shot, our rebounding behind him has been challenged so we think Jordan can come in behind him and shore that up if he gets into the rotation.”
Morey said Hamilton is a guy they have “had their eye on” and the timing of the acquisition fits the pattern of success they have had acquiring young players (likely referring to when they traded for Kyle Lowry).
“He hasn’t had a chance to emerge (and that’s) usually the kind of guy we do pretty well with — catch him a little bit before they get a chance and see him flourish with us,” said Morey.
Brooks, who is the team’s best three-point shooter this season, was pushed out of the rotation once both Patrick Beverley and Jeremy Lin were healthy. He provided some valuable insurance at two guard spots this season. For example, in the eight games this year where James Harden was out, Brooks averaged 12.1 points in just 22.1 minutes a game, hitting over 51% of his threes. He was part of the reason the Rockets went 6-2 in those games without their star.
Since Brooks is a one-year Bird Rights player, he had the right to approve any trade. By approving this one, he’s clearly doing it because the Nuggets provide a better playing opportunity before he becomes a free agent this summer.
The move also makes Isaiah Canaan, who has been thriving in the D-League, the team’s third point guard.
“Some of this trade is about Isaiah Canaan,” said Morey. “He’s played very well in the D-League. We feel like and the coaching staff feels like he has the ability to step into that third point guard role. If we were to take an injury potentially, we feel comfortable he could come in and give us good minutes.”
But the Rockets needed a possible boost at the wing spot, and it will be interesting to see if Hamilton finds a niche here off the bench playing in an offense that focuses heavily on the three. Here’s a highlights video from a game last week where Hamilton posted 16 points and 7 assists against the Timberwolves.
In a self-funded project (reportedly at an investment of over $10 million), the Houston Rockets are replacing the 17,000 bowl seats inside their home arena of Toyota Center. The new seats feature a black sports-weave material, which will represent a noticeable change relative to the venue’s current color scheme of red.
In advance of Wednesday’s game versus the Washington Wizards, which kicks off a three-game homestand over the next five days, the Rockets completed the renovation on three upper-level sections. Others throughout the building will change as the 2025-26 NBA season progresses.
All of the new seats, which are shown below, include attached cup holders.
Because the initial completed sections are in the upper level, the backdrop is unlikely to look different for fans watching on television. However, that could change as the season progresses and the work eventually migrates to the lower level.
No scheduling shutdowns are anticipated due to the project, and the change will not cause the venue to lose any seating capacity. The current bowl seats, other than the suite level, are “original to the building,” which first opened in 2003.
The seating and platform upgrades are among many recommendations from a facility condition assessment by Venue Solutions Group, which advised that Toyota Center needs a total of $635.8 million in maintenance work over the next 20 years.
In 2025, Toyota Center is now in its third operational decade. With many architectural, mechanical, and technological features original to the building, replacements are becoming necessary after 20-plus years of use, according to the assessment (via the Houston Business Journal). But while the arena requires modernization, the assessment found that the facilitity generally remains in good condition and has been well-maintained throughout.
Under the leadership of team owner Tilman Fertitta, the Rockets have made a series of renovations to Toyota Center in recent years. That process remains ongoing, with seating upgrades representing the latest and most visible phase.
